In a week filled with explosive performances it wasn’t easy choosing our weekly award winner among those nominated by our coaches.
We eventually settled on Brady’s Walker Bauer, whose dual-threat performance in a win over Johnson City was just good enough to eclipse the others.
Throwing for 132 yards and four touchdowns in a 53-3 win over Johnson City, Bauer was perhaps even more impressive running the ball, with 239 yards and and two additional scores.
Abilene High 35, Haltom City Haltom 18 — The Eagles scored a huge win Friday at Shotwell Stadium, racing out to a 28-0 lead and holding off a late Buffalo surge to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Led by Phonzo Dotson, who rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, AHS (3-5, 2-2) scored 14 points in the game’s first four minutes and never led by fewer than 10 points the rest of the way. The Eagles outgained Haltom 390-293, including 235 rushing yards on 41 carries. In addition to Dotson’s production, coach Mike Fullen’s squad got two touchdowns apiece from Esai Jaques (6-36) and Eric Abbe (5-23).
Up next for AHS, which limited the Buffalos’ standout quarterback-running back duo of Adam Hill and Kenneth Cormier Jr. to a combined 91 rushing yards on 33 carries, is another key district matchup at Weatherford. Haltom (3-4, 1-2), meanwhile, hosts archrival North Richland Hills Richland.
Cooper 51, Amarillo Caprock 24 — Leading 27-17 late in the third quarter, the Cougars scored 24 straight points to pull away Friday for a lopsided road win over the Longhorns.
Cooper, ranked ninth in Class 5A Division I at 8-0 overall and 4-0 in District 2-5A DI, outgained Caprock 411-304 and forced six turnovers, including five interceptions. Senior Dylon Davis had three of those to give him a school-record 10 picks on the season, while running back Noah Garcia (14-177, 2 TD rushing) set a school record with a 96-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Coogs, who had two defensive touchdowns on their way to a 21-3 halftime lead, will look to keep their run going this week at home against Lubbock High, while Caprock (2-5, 2-1) will play a Thursday game against Amarillo High.
Wylie 21, Wichita Falls High 14 — The Bulldogs snapped their 18-game losing streak Thursday with a hard-fought win over the Coyotes, stopping a do-or-die pass play from the 3-yard line as time expired to seal the victory.
Wylie (1-6 overall, 1-1 in District 3-5A DII) took a 14-7 lead into halftime and answered third-quarter touchdown by WFHS with one of their own to build the seven-point advantage they’d protect the rest of the way. Quarterback Balin Valentine passed for 199 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offense, hitting Cason Hanna in the first quarter, Brodey Baker in the second and Reed Hughes for what proved to be the game-winner in the final minute of the third.
With a win under their belt, the Bulldogs can now shift their focus to bolstering their playoff hopes, beginning with a big home game against Canyon Randall this week.
Wellington 50, Munday 6 — The Skyrockets pounded out 419 rushing yards while limiting the Moguls to 44 total yards in a lopsided victory Friday.
Four Wellington players had at least 67 rushing yards, led by Marc Ramirez with 98 yards and a touchdown and Grant Field with 89 yards and two scores. All of the scoring took place in the first half as Wellington established control from the beginning.
The win improved WHS to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in district play heading into next week’s game at Shamrock. Munday, now 2-5 on the year and 0-2 in 5-2A DII, will try to get back on track next week against Quanah.
Brady 53, Johnson City 3 — The Bulldogs stayed unbeaten in District 13-3A DII play on Friday with a dominant performance from start to finish against Johnson City.
Brady, which outgained the Eagles 353-157 and forced six turnovers, led 33-0 by halftime on its way to handing Johnson City its worst loss since falling 55-3 to No. 3 San Saba in Week 1.
The victory improved the Bulldogs to 3-4 overall and 2-0 in league play with a big home game against Blanco coming up this week. Johnson City, meanwhile, will take a 1-6 overall record and 0-2 league mark into next week’s game at Ingram Moore.
Brock 38, Whitesboro 3 — The Eagles passed Friday’s road test at Whitesboro with flying colors, outscoring the Bearcats 31-0 in the second half to break open what was just a four-point game at halftime.
Brock outgained Whitesboro 418-125, getting 358 of those yards on the ground. Cash Jones was the catalyst for that performance, rushing for 212 yards and three touchdowns, while Myles Semas added 78 yards and a touchdown and Kutter Wilson had 52 yards on just five carries.
The win keeps the Eagles (5-2, 2-1) one game back of Pilot Point in the loss column heading into next week’s home game against Ponder. Whitesboro, which is idle next week, fell to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in league play with the loss.
Big Spring (1-6) — Like the other three teams in this league, Big Spring had the week off to prepare for the start of District 2-4A DI action next week.
The Steers, who are currently on a four-game losing streak, will open league play with a tough game at Andrews.
Abernathy 42, Coahoma 0 — The Antelopes proved too much for Coahoma on Friday, outgaining the Bulldogs 403-9 in a shutout win.
Holding CHS to 22 passing yards and a negative rushing total on 21 attempts, Abernathy dominated from start to finish, building a 21-0 lead by halftime and carrying that momentum through the second half. Quarterback Bryson Daily led the way for the sixth-ranked Antelopes, passing for 220 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for a game-high 141 yards and another score.
Coahoma, now 5-2 overall and 1-1 in league play, will try to bounce back next week at home against Stanton, while Abernathy (6-1, 2-0) will travel to Colorado City.
Pecos 62, Sweetwater 49 — Leo Holsey passed for 327 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 86 yards and two more scores Friday, but it wasn’t enough to earn the Mustangs a win against Pecos in a game that featured multiple lightning delays.
The Mustangs, who fell to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in District 1-4A DII play with the loss, piled up 479 yards of total offense, but they allowed 672 (644 of those rushing) and were hurt by five turnovers. This allowed the Eagles to take a 40-21 lead by halftime and keep SHS at arm’s length the rest of the way.
The Mustangs, who got 167 receiving yards and a TD from Darian Carr, will try to bounce back from the loss next week when they hit the road to take on archrival Snyder. Pecos (4-4, 2-2) will host winless Lamesa.
Dublin 36, Rio Vista 10 — The Lions got off to a great start Friday, scoring 22 first-quarter points on their way to an impressive home win over the Eagles.
Led by quarterback Cy Wing, who passed for 337 yards and four touchdowns while adding 64 yards and a fifth score on the ground, Dublin raced out to a 29-10 first-half lead and never let up in improving to 6-1 on the season and 2-0 in District 6-3A DII play. Rio Vista (2-5, 0-2), which was limited to 275 total yards, was led in the loss by running back Jake Perkins, who rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries.
Up next for the Lions, who got 91 receiving yards from Colten Couch and 87 from Christian Ramirez, is a big matchup at Jacksboro next week. The Eagles, meanwhile, will welcome Comanche to town.
San Saba 49, Hico 0 — The No. 3 Armadillos scored 43 first-quarter points on their way to yet another lopsided victory, improving to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in District 7-2A with their fifth shutout of the season.
San Saba, which has now outscored its opposition 411-9 on the season, got three rushing touchdowns from quarterback Sean O’Keefe and two apiece from Eli Salinas and Luis Ramirez in the victory.
The Armadillos will get back on the field next week with a road game at Valley Mills, while Hico (0-7, 0-2) will try for its first win at home against Goldthwaite.
Stamford 31, Winters 28 — The Bulldogs rallied from a 20-14 halftime deficit Friday to edge Winters and pick up a big win for their District 3-2A DI playoff hopes.
Trace Price threw two touchdown passes — hitting Josh Mueller and Shavaris Cooper — while D’Marcus Barber added a rushing score and a kickoff return touchdown to fuel Stamford, which improved to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in league play with the victory. Winters, which was led by Alex Salas (4-10-1—100, 1 TD passing; 18-56, 1 TD rushing) and Matt Jacob (10-85, 1 TD) fell to 4-4 and 0-2 with the loss.
Stamford will try to build on the win next week when they host rival Hawley, while Winters will try to snap a two-game losing streak at Forsan.
Waco La Vega 42, Stephenville 10 — The Yellow Jackets struggled to slow the Pirate offense Friday, allowing 349 yards rushing and 537 total yards in a lopsided home loss.
Traling 14-3 at halftime, Stephenville was outscored 21-7 in the third quarter to fall to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in District 5-4A DI. The Jackets, who finished with 298 yards of offense (223 passing, 75 rushing), scored their only touchdown on a 62-yard pass from Cole Stanley to Trace Morrison, and they were already in a 28-3 hole by that point.
Up next for coach Sterling Doty’s team is a home game against archrival Brownwood, while La Vega (6-1, 1-0) will host China Spring next week.
Cisco 75, San Angelo TLCA 0 — Gibson Hearne passed for 243 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 84 yards and another score to lead the Loboes to a blowout win over the Eagles on Friday.
Cisco (6-1, 4-0) scored 28 first-quarter points and led 48-0 by halftime before coasting in the second half to its second shutout win in a row. The Loboes had eight scoring plays of 35 or more yards, including six of 50 or more yards.
Coach Brent West’s squad will look to stretch its current winning streak to six games next week when it hosts San Angelo Grape Creek, while TLCA (1-6, 1-3) will have another tough game at Anson.
Hamlin 51, Haskell 7 — Jevon Williams rushed for four touchdowns and added a fifth score receiving to lead the Pied Pipers to a blowout win over Haskell on Friday.
Hamlin, which also got two passing TDs from Braydin Warner and a rushing and receiving score from A.J. Ramirez, led 34-0 at halftime and scored the first 17 points of the second half, before the Indians finally got on the board on a long scoring run by Jacari Holland.
The win improves the Pipers to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in District 7-2A DII play heading into their bye week next week. Haskell, which fell to 2-6 and 0-2 with its fifth consecutive loss, will try to get the ship righted next week at Roscoe.
Clyde 33, Early 0 — The Bulldogs bounced back from last week’s loss at Wall with their fourth shutout victory of the season, outgaining the Longhorns 444-156 in a dominating effort.
Bo Baker rushed for 214 yards and a touchdown, Donovan Gomez ran for three scores and Dylan Nueman passed for 157 yards and a TD to lead Clyde, which led 20-0 by halftime. Cale Wade rushed for 61 yards on 12 carries for Early, which fell to 3-4 overall and 0-2 in District 3-3 DI play with the loss.
Up next for the Bulldogs (5-2, 1-1 ) is a home game against Jim Ned, while the Longhorns return to the field next week at Breckenridge.
Photos by John Moore, courtesy of PressPassSports.com
AMARILLO — The ninth-ranked Cooper Cougars remained unbeaten Friday, outscoring Amarillo Caprock 24-7 over the final 15 minutes to turn a 10-point game late in the third quarter into a 51-24 victory at Dick Bivins Stadium.
After racing out to a 21-3 halftime lead on the strength of a pair of defensive touchdowns, Cooper saw a pair of third-quarter scores by Caprock trim their lead to 27-17. But the Coogs closed that period with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Thompson to Izaiah Clark and continued pouring on points in the fourth quarter.
The win improved Cooper to 8-0 on the year and 4-0 in District 2-5A play, putting coach Aaron Roan’s squad just two wins away from the school’s first unbeaten regular season since 1979.
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery.
More than four hours separated Abilene High’s first and last touchdowns Friday night at Shotwell Stadium. But the two plays served as fitting book ends to a dominating effort against Haltom City Haltom.
On a night that featured two lengthy lightning delays, the first between the third and fourth quarters, the Eagles built a 28-0 lead and held off a late Buffalo rally to score an important 35-18 win over Haltom.
The victory improved AHS to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in District 3-6A play, putting the Eagles firmly back in the mix for one of their league’s four playoff spots.
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TUSCOLA — If defensive football is your thing, then the Big Country Preps Game of the Week was one you would have loved Friday night at Jim Ned’s Indian Stadium.
In a potential playoff preview, the Wall defense held Jim Ned to 76 yards of offense and claimed a 14-7 win in a defensive battle full of big hits and momentum swings.
“I will take any kind of win, whether it’s ugly or not,” Wall coach Houston Guy said. “I knew going in that they were going to be very tough defensively. I thought that they were going to be hard to run the ball against.”
Leading a run-first offense that is averaging more than 275 yards per game on the ground, Aidan Thompson’s role as the Cooper quarterback is pretty well defined.
Put simply, it’s his job to get the ball where it’s supposed to be and when.
But don’t let this emphasis on efficiency over playmaking — or his coach’s frequent use of the term “manage” — fool you into believing his role in the Coogs’ offensive success is insignificant.
Not only does Thompson play an integral part in a Cooper offensive machine that has averaged 40 points per game to date, but his improvement from last year to this may be the biggest catalyst behind the 7-0 start that has the Cougars ranked No. 9 in Class 5A Division I.
WICHITA FALLS — Wichita Falls High quarterback Zy Gravitt’s pass to the end zone fell incomplete as time expired, sealing a 21-14 win for the Wylie Bulldogs on Thursday night at Memorial Stadium.
The victory, Wylie’s first since November 2017, snapped an 18-game losing streak for coach Hugh Sandifer and the Bulldogs. And more importantly, it put the WHS (1-6 overall, 1-1 in District 3-5A Division II) firmly in the playoff race after having a 24-year postseason streak snapped during a winless campaign last season.
Sitting at 2-5 overall and 1-2 in District 3-6A with three tough games remaining, Abilene High’s road to the playoffs is a treacherous one.
The Eagles close the regular season with Haltom City Haltom (3-3, 1-1), Weatherford (5-1, 1-1) and Euless Trinity (6-1, 2-1), and likely need a 2-1 finish to punch their ticket to the postseason.
If you think that’s a tall task, you’re not alone. The Eagles understand the challenge ahead of them. But don’t expect first year AHS head coach Mike Fullen or the 41 seniors on his roster to cede anything to anyone.
The Eagles’ goals remain the same as they’ve always been — to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. And a group of seniors that has seen the last two seasons end gut-wrenchingly close to the postseason is determined to earn an 11th game this year.
Each week here at Big Country Preps, we’ll post our picks for all of that week’s 11-man games, in addition to the results of Evan Ren’s Twitter polls for each matchup.
For those interested in voting, polls go up on Monday night each week and close Thursday morning.
Disagree with our picks or the Twitter consensus? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading “Big Country Preps’ Pick ‘Em Panel (Week 8)”
LAST WEEK: 35-8, .813
OVERALL: 286-59, .829
If one accepts the notion that the third-ranked Wall Hawks (6-0, 1-0) are the favorite to win District 3-3A Division I, then the Jim Ned Indians (6-0, 1-0) are about to receive their mid-term report card in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.
I think that’s a fair way of looking at it, considering that Wall has already beaten teams such as Cisco, Midland Christian and Clyde.
However, there are reasons to believe that the Indians may be the best team Wall has faced to this point, not the least of which is a defense that has pitched four shutouts in six games and is allowing an average of just 7.0 points per night.
With an inexperienced offensive line that’s seen its depth depleted by injuries, Wylie has had to lean more heavily on its passing game this season than coach Hugh Sandifer would prefer.
But if there’s been one positive to the Bulldogs’ struggles in the running game, it’s been the emergence of junior receivers Creed Cooper and Reed Hughes.
While Wylie remains winless at 0-6 heading into Thursday’s game at Wichita Falls High, Cooper and Hughes have added big-play potential to a Bulldog unit that has struggled to finish drives this season. And that duo will, no doubt, play a key role if Sandifer’s squad is to make a playoff push in its last four district games.
It’s been a big year for Eastland football coach James Morton, who has coached the Mavericks to a 6-0 start and earlier this week week watched his son, standout junior quarterback Behren Morton, commit to play collegiately at Texas Tech.
On Tuesday, Coach Morton took a few minutes to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about this year’s Eastland team, the progress his program has made and watching his son’s recruitment for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, the guys revisit Evan’s column on fan’s treatment of coaches and discuss last week’s top results and this week’s top matchups.
Continue to check back at BigCountryPreps.com each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when Evan and Dan discuss the current happenings in Big Country High School sports — often with an interesting sports figure from around the area.
You can also peruse our BCP Podcast archive, which features dozens of our previous shows with prominent coaches and Big Country media fixtures.
Inquiries regarding these podcasts may be directed to Evan Ren at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com.
If you have a suggested topic of conversation or a recommended guest, don’t hesitate to contact us!
STAMFORD — With the Stamford Bulldogs (4-3, 0-1 District 3-2A DI) slugging their way through an injury-plagued 2019 season, coach Ronnie Casey has been forced to lean on one player a bit more than he’d prefer to.
Casey, who would ideally like to see as many sets of hands on the football as possible, has been giving senior running back D’Marcus Barber an opportunity to shine.
And it’s not strictly on the ground.
As Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home.” And that certainly rings true for Gordon football coach Mike Reed.
After a four-year stint as the head coach at Hamilton, Reed returned to the six-man ranks last year when he took over the football program at his alma mater.
Prior to heading to Hamilton, Reed led the programs at Strawn, Rule and Throckmorton after attending college at Tarleton State University in Stephenville.
EASTLAND — Eastland junior quarterback Behren Morton officially announced on Tuesday that he will sign with Texas Tech University.
Still only a junior, Morton narrowed the field of several possible candidates to Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU and Tech, before finally settling on the Red Raiders.
“I sat down with my family after this last week after we went to Baylor, and we decided where the best place for me to play would be,” Morton said. “We all agreed 100 percent that it was Texas Tech.
“We just numbered them down and decided that Tech would be the best move.”
Continue reading “BREAKING NEWS: Morton’s choice of Texas Tech an easy one”
He looks more like a linebacker than a quarterback and he’s not exactly Usain Bolt on a dead run.
But Coahoma quarterback Zack Schneider is smart, double-tough and proving more than capable of handling a position that he may not have been specifically designed for.
That much was proven last Friday when the senior led Coahoma to a huge 29-21 win over Idalou in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week that saw him rush for 176 yards and four touchdowns and pass for 108.
He also came up big defensively, charting 10 tackles, one interception , one fumble recovery and one pass breakup to help the Bulldogs improve to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in District 2-3A Division II.
San Angelo Central 35, Abilene High 13 — The Bobcats used a potent passing game and a solid defensive effort Friday to pull away from the Eagles for a big district win.
Central outgained Abilene High 432-246, getting 321 yards and two touchdowns passing from quarterback Malachi Brown, who also rushed nine times for 52 yards and two more scores. Tanner Dabbert was Brown’s favorite target, hauling in seven passes for 128 yards and a TD.
AHS (2-5, 1-2), which was led in the loss by running back Phonzo Dotson (19-77 rushing) and receiver Jeshari Houston (6-60 receiving), will try to bounce back this week at home against Haltom City Haltom. Central, meanwhile, will travel to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a matchup with North Richland Hills Richland.
Cooper 42, Amarillo Palo Duro 6 — Noah Garcia rushed for 207 yards and a touchdown, while Dalziel Sifuentes added 114 rushing yards in his varsity debut to fuel the No. 10 Cougars to a blowout win over the Dons on Friday.
Cooper outgained Palo Duro 554-110, building a 28-6 lead by halftime and cruising from there to their seventh consecutive victory. In addition to the production they received from Garcia and Sifuentes, the Coogs got 188 yards and three TDs passing from Aidan Thompson and 131 total yards and two scores from Daelin Campos.
CHS (7-0, 3-0) will try to keep its roll going this week when it travels north to take on Amarillo Caprock on Friday. Palo Duro (3-4, 1-1), meanwhile, will host Amarillo High on Thursday.
Wichita Falls Rider 30, Wylie 12 — The Bulldogs played their most competitive game to date, taking their first lead of the season with a second-quarter touchdown pass, but their inability to capitalize on some early opportunities and the play of Rider quarterback Jacob Rodriguez allowed the Raiders to pull away in the third quarter.
Rodriguez had a hand in every point for Rider, rushing for 216 yards and three touchdowns, passing for 153 yards and another score, and returning an interception on a point-after try for a defensive two-point conversion. Wylie, which finished with 288 yards of offense, was led by quarterback Balin Valentine (20-39-1—276, 2 TDs passing) and receiver Reed Hughes (4-138, 1 TD).
The Bulldogs, who dropped to 0-6 overall and 0-1 in league play with the loss, will try to snap an 18-game losing streak Thursday when they hit the road to take on Wichita Falls High. The Raiders (3-3, 1-0), meanwhile, will host Lubbock Cooper on Friday in a game that will likely decide the District 3-5A DII championship.
Sean O’Keefe proved last year he’s a dual threat quarterback, capable of hurting a defense by passing and running the football. This year the San Saba senior has become a triple threat with receiving added to his skill set.
The undefeated and state-ranked Class 2A Armadillos (6-0) have shown a package — even to start some games — with junior Risien Shahan at quarterback and O’Keefe at wide receiver. So far, San Saba has used the package for a limited number of series usually in the first quarter, then moved O’Keefe back to quarterback, where he is a four-year starter.
Boyd 42, Paradise 21 — The Yellowjackets kept pace with district front-runner Pilot Point, earning a comfortable win over a solid Panthers squad Friday to improve to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in district play.
Boyd, which outgained Paradise 407-292, outscored Paradise 21-7 in the first quarter and was never threatened after that. Quarterback Rendyn Lamance had a big day for the Yellowjackets, hitting four of six passes for 167 yards and a touchdown while rushing 74 yards and three more scores.
Up next for Boyd is a huge home game against Pilot Point. The Panthers, meanwhile, will take a 4-3, 1-2 record into their bye week.
Wheeler 74, Munday 6 — WHS piled up 633 yards in total offense, including a 527-yard rushing tally to win going away.
Wheeler limited Munday to just 15 total yards on the day to improve to 5-1, 1-0. Munday, which is playing a mixed schedule of varsity/JV games, is currently 1-3 against varsity competition and 0-1 in district.
Wheeler will play host to Shamrock next Friday; Munday will travel to Wellington on the same evening.
Brady 23, Ingram Moore 20 — The Bulldogs outscored the Chiefs 16-12 in the second half Friday to secure a three-point win in their District 13-3A Division II opener.
Brady rushed for 268 yards in the victory, getting 139 yards and a touchdown from quarterback Walker Bauer and 52 yards and a score on Benjamin Galindo on just four carries. Galindo’s TD, a 26-yarder, put the Bulldogs up 23-14 with 7:45 to play, and coach Shay Easterwood’s team was able to hang on after that for the win.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for Brady (2-4, 1-0), which will try to start its first winning streak next week at Johnson City. Moore, which dropped to 3-3, 0-1 with the loss, will travel to Sonora next week.
De Leon 54, Hico 13 — The Bearcats built a 33-13 halftime lead and shut out the Tigers after that to cruise to a blowout win in the District 7-2A DI opener for both teams.
De Leon (2-4, 1-0) pounded out 599 total yards — all but 62 of those on the ground — and limited Hico to just 141 yards of total offense in snapping a four-game losing streak. The Tigers, meanwhile, dropped to 0-6 overall and 0-1 in league play with the loss.
Coach Andrew Dickson’s Bearcats will try to build off Friday’s when when they host Valley Mills next week, while Hico will make a difficult road trip to San Saba.